Saudi Arabia defended on Tuesday a controversial verdict sentencing a 19-year-old gang rape victim to six months jail and 200 lashes.

The Shi'ite Muslim woman had initially been sentenced to 90 lashes after being convicted of violating Saudi Arabia's Sharia Islamic law on segregation of the sexes.

In its decision doubling her sentence last week, the Saudi General Court also roughly doubled prison sentences for the seven men convicted of raping her, Saudi media said.